Butting Heads
by Glitter And Goth
Summary: "Watts, must I remind you that nobody wins in a headbutt?" Avery Watts may have just made her final mistake. At least the Scarecrow won't be bored. CranexOC post-TDK Ignoring TDKR Rated for language and violence
1. Prologue: The First Mistake

It was the downfall of every escaped convict: coming back to where it all started. Avery knew that when she landed in Gotham. It was only a matter of time until she found herself here, feet pounding against pavement. The Batman was somewhere, following close by. Every once in a while she'd here the rustling of his cape or see a hint of his Kevlar suit. Again she saw a hint of his cape. Immediately she switched directions, falling over in the process. Feet scrambled to get a grip on the grease-soaked pavement. For the thousandth time that night, Avery cursed herself for being so stupid. She put her life on the line for that idiot.

The smell of the junkyard blocked all her other senses. Mazes of trash loomed over her. _How did I end up here? _Avery grumbled to herself. The chase had gone through the Narrows' backstreets. The moment she spotted the Batman Avery booked it – that was her only hope. Speed was the only thing she had on the Batman, and even that wasn't much. Again she caught a hint of him and again she changed direction. If it came down to hand to hand combat Avery would be in Arkham again. That was the only thing that kept her going.

_Not again … not to him_.

Each breath felt like flames in her throat and the stitch in her side was turning unbearable. Silently cursing McDonalds, Avery pushed through the pain.

_Oh, just suck it up._ The voice in the back of her head chastised. "Fuck you." She murmured. Arguing with herself – it had always been her downfall. No matter how obnoxious her steps or her breathing were, the momentary cursing gave her away.

The Bat flew down from above. Avery scrambled to get away, letting out a shriek. Again, she tripped over her own feet. Broken glass shards dug into her hands and she scuttled backwards, scraping herself up even more. As if she weighed less than a ragdoll, the Batman grabbed her ankle swinging her up. There were glass shards stuck in her hands and her blood from her falls ran down her cheeks. With the last bouts of strength she had, Avery squirmed and lashed out. The Bat was a brick wall, just like she remembered.

Finally she stopped fighting. "Well," she began, smiling slightly, "You caught me, Bat. I know how _difficult_ of a task that is." Avery offered a light, humorless laugh. "Whatchya going to do with me now?" Avery raised her eyebrows and gave a suggestive smirk. The Batman sneered in disgust and refused to offer a reply. "The Joker always said you were too serious." He took the limp and insane convict and tied her to a telephone pole. She was asleep when the police came.

**A/N: So, first story. Hope you like :3 Its just a prologue, no major villains yet T.T I'm working on editing the second chapter so it should be up later tonight or ! On the McDonald's comment Avery made, for those of you that don't know you get stitches in your side if you do heavy excersize after eating ... um, yeah. That's it! Review and Fave!  
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	2. Ice Blue

**A/N: This chapter went through a lot of editing, and to be honest, I still hate it. This is actually chapters two and three mashed together … but yeah … Still not a lot of the rogues, I'm trying! Next chapter, I promise! As always, reviews are appreciated: faves are loved 3 **

Avery didn't even remember going to bed last night, and she definitely didn't want to be woken up by lights turning on and guards shouting. The lights scalded her eyes and her not so kind treatment of her body was coming back around. "Karma's a bitch," Avery muttered into her pillow.

More shouting.

"Rise and shine!" Avery wanted to flip the guard off. Shine is not what her migraine needed.

Her mind ran in circles, the events of last night played like a movie montage. Batman … the pole … screaming … Avery hadn't been pleased when they woke her up to take her in. In all honestly she knew she'd end up back in Arkham, it was inevitable if she came back to Gotham she'd end up in Arkham again. Avery rolled her eyes and fixed her jumpsuit. The rest of the night she'd been sedated. Easier for the doctor to poke and prod her if she wasn't trying to bite his finger off, she guessed.

"Come on, sweetheart," the guard had a heavy Long Island accent, "He grabbed Avery by her upper arm, antagonizing a particularly nasty bruise.

"Where the hell are my shoes?" Avery groaned. Witty comments came to the tip of her tongues, but in all honestly, they wouldn't make the pain stop.

"No shoes any more, sweetie." Avery did a double take and followed the grabby guard.

"No shoes?" She submitted herself to be cuffed (why cause herself more pain?) and walked with the guard down the hall.

"Nope. The doc says that you can run if you got shoes." The guard shrugged and went silent. There was no more getting info out of him today. That didn't matter; Avery had gotten all she wanted for the day. Security had tightened in the past few years. Arkham had finally caught up to the fact that you couldn't keep the most ingenious criminals locked up in one place without people escaping. When they reached the door to the cafeteria Avery noticed another upgrade in security. The guard took out a key card and scanned the door. Maneuvering his body between Avery and the keypad, though still keeping an iron grip on her upper arm, he opened the door. "You've been here before, Watts, you know the drill."

"Do I know you?" Avery wiggled out of his grip and waited for the cuffs to be unlocked. The guard ignored her comment and let her hands free. Muttering about the guard getting the stick out of his ass, Avery glanced around the cafeteria. Nothing had changed, much. Even the inmates were the same.

Guards lined the walls, some familiar, some new. They were keeping an eye on the orange clad patients. Some were recognizable from the media. Others were completely unknown. The underground criminals and past escapees like Avery. One particular green haired patient's hand snapped out to grab her wrist.

"Long time, no see!" the Joker exclaimed, pulling Avery down in the seat next to him. Avery let out an _oomph_ sound when her back collided with the hard plastic table.

"Hello, Joker," Avery rolled her eyes. "What do you want?"

"_Me?_" the sociopath raised his eyes in the most "innocent of ways", "Now … why _wouldn't_ I want to meet an old … asset …" Avery snorted. "_Seriously_. Where ha_ve _you been?" Joker gave a twisted smile.

"Around," Avery shrugged. She didn't tell the intake doctor where she'd been and she wasn't going to tell the Joker. Not yet, at least. "If you'll excuse me, I'm hungry."

"You'll si_t_ with us? Won't you?" Joker looked like a sixth grader.

"Stick with the evil you know?" Avery offered. The Joker's only response was hysterical laughter. She made a mental note to keep an eye on him and took the opportunity to get up. The cafeteria reminded Avery a lot of high school. The patients were sitting in a variety of tables. There were probably thirty patients in the cafeteria at the moment. She could almost name each traditional clique. In one table were the jocks, mostly gangsters who had some bullshit insanity defense, probably escaped once or twice. She recognized several of her higher class clients; one even offered her a smile. That put a weight in Avery's stomach No one should recognize her. She went to extreme measures to change her appearance in between jobs. Her hair may be pretty fried, but still … she'd been a blonde when she met that client. Her hair was brown now … Avery forced herself to push back the panic and act indifferent. _Maybe she was just here last time … _Avery shook her head and continued scanning the cafeteria.

There was a table full of white collar criminals – probably high school's traditional "nerds". Probably hackers and con artists like her. _Our people._ It would be great to talk to others … exchange details. _If the Joker has ulterior motives he won't be happy … _Avery rolled her eyes, "He won't be happy either way. I don't play his game." She answered herself. Maybe she really was crazy …

Avery spared the rogues table a second glance. It had grown in the time she'd been getting her oatmeal. There was Ivy and the Joker, both very familiar faces. A vaguely familiar blonde was practically sitting on the Joker's lap. And then there was him. Avery nearly dropped her tray. He was sitting a good distance away from the other rogues, but his ice blue eyes were patiently listening to the conversation.

_Avery was a frail sixteen-year-old girl to begin with. Between the lack of nutrition and staying indoors, she looked as though the wind could knock her over. Most of her hair was ice blonde, but it had had time to grow out and the dull red roots stood out like sore thumbs. Deep circles covered her brown eyes, sleep never came to her anymore. Dr. Crane sat across from her; his ice blue eyes analyzed the thin teenager. "Are we going to talk today, Avery?" Avery refused to meet his ice blue eyes. There wasn't much she had anymore, but what she did have she'd like to keep. Stubborn as always, she bit her tongue."Miss Watts, I asked you a question, I would appreciate an answer." He kept up the cool and calm psychiatrist façade but the ice was seeping into his voice._

_Avery turned her eyes to her fingernails. They weren't terrible, she kept them under minor control by biting them. No nail clippers. Wasn't Arkham grand? "What are you? My mother?" Avery's voice was smooth and well used. She wasn't mute. She just didn't want to be in Arkham._

"_No, Avery, I'm you're psychiatrist," Avery cringed at the term. She wasn't crazy … not psychiatrist worthy. "But, what about your mother?" Crane offered a smirk._

"_What about her?" Avery returned his smirk, still not meeting his eye. _How does it feel, Crane? Havign your own methods turned on you?_ Avery's smirk grew into a Cheshire grin. _

"_Were you close?" Avery shrugged, her lips were sealed again. "That doesn't explain much? Did you like her?" Avery shrugged. Crane let out an exasperated sigh and took off his glasses and began to clean them. Avery felt her blood run cold. He only took off his glasses when he was frustrated with her and when he was frustrated with her …_

"_Watts? I have other ways of making you talk." A wave of nausea crept through her stomach. Avery had a feeling what those "other ways" were. _Stay strong_, she reminded herself. Again, Dr. Crane let out a sigh, this time it was more dramatic. Definitely for show. "Avery? Tell me. What is it you fear?" His voice was darker, more sinister. Real terror already pulsed through her veins, anticipating the good doctor's next move. Her teeth grazed her lower lip, putting just enough pressure to help keep her control. "Miss Watts, you and I are going to have a successful appointment one way or another," his voice was short and clipped, real annoyance was seeping through. Today was going to be terrible, she knew it. _

"_One last question," he bent down beneath the table for a second. When he came up his smile grew wide. It wasn't a pleasant smile. It was the kind of smile that mimicked death. Sweat began to form at her hairline. "Do you want to see my mask?"_

"No!" Avery nearly screamed, catching the eye of several people around her. "Um, sorry …" The inmates around her shrugged and moved on with their lives. But there they were. The ice blue eyes staring directly at her. In a flurry of movement, Avery skittered to the table as far away from the rogues. Away from Dr. Jonathan Crane.


	3. Lies

**A/N: Still not much Crane, but there is the Joker x3 The next chapter will be filled to the brim with Crane, pinky promise. Nice and long, finally x.x There were several places I could have separated this into two chapters with, but I didn't feel like it, honestly. I'm getting tired of these mini chapters, they bother me just as much as they bother you. Hope you enjoy, concrit is greatly appreciated. The next chapter is already started and should be up before the end of the week.**

Quietly and as calmly as possibly, Avery slipped into a random table. The table's occupants looked up for a second, but quickly returned to their silent meal. The group weren't quite the criminals that reminded her so much of herself, but they were a hell of a lot better than the burly men with prison tattoos and buzz cuts. They really were a motley crew, though, when Avery thought about it. Across from her was a boy, not even twenty years old, with hair that stood up in all different directios. Either the boy didn't know, or didn't care because he showed no signs of having bothered to fix it. Next to him was a statuesque woman who belonged in a fashion magazine not a mental hospital. Wisps of blond hair fells out of her orange scrunchie and thick rimmed glasses covered her mint green eyes. The woman spared Avery a couple of glances, analyzing Avery in the same way Avery was analyzing her. She knew the woman was asking herself the same questions Avery was. _Who is this woman? What is she doing here? Why is she here? _And, most importantly, _Is she a threat?_

Next to Avery was a man who could have accidentally wandered off of the streets into Arkham. Average brown hair in and average hair cut that framed average eyes set into an average face shape. The only truly remarkable thing about him was a generic tribal tattoo on his upper arm. The man raised a perfectly averagely overgrown eyebrow in Avery's direction. The expression said it all: _Why are you here?_

Blondie was the first one to say anything, "Who are you?" Avery smiled a little, no pleasantries, just business.

"Avery. You?" Avery placed down her spoon and focused on the group.

"I'm Sasha, this is Hudson and moptop here's Green." Green looked up at his name and stared at Sasha. Sasha made a motion with her head to his hair. In a flurry of motion Green ran his hands through his hair, a light blush scattered over his cheeks. Still embarrassed, he looked back down at his food.

"Ignore him," Hudson offered a small smile, "He doesn't talk to anyone much."

"Why not?" For the first time Avery truly studied Green. Besides his hair, he didn't seem to belong in Arkham either. His brown eyes held the telltale signs of anti-psychotic drugs and sedatives. Green's hair fell in tangles around his face, but he didn't seem capable of being a danger to others. That's the only reason you were in Arkham. If you were a danger to yourself you were in a normal mental hospital in normal clothes. To be in Arkham, something major occurred. People died. People got screwed over. People got hurt. From what Avery could tell, he couldn't hurt a fly … even if it was annoying the shit out of him.

"Stop talking about me." There was something ghostly about the command. Green hadn't even looked up, but the tone in his voice was calm, controlling. Maybe he was dangerous …

"We are not talking about you, Green," Hudson's voice was calm and level. Avery held down a snort as she thought of Jedi mind tricks. _Nerd … _her mind chastised her. Placing the fork down Hudson's hand crossed across his body and remained there.

"You're lying."

"Why would we talk about you Green?" Avery smiled lightly, and placed her palm on her chest.

"Because – because they all do … they – they …" Sasha placed a hand on Green's shoulder, another burst of chagrin flew into his cheeks.

"They're not lying, honey," Sasha shot Avery a sidelong glare. _Shut up_, it said.

"But … but …" Green's arguments died in his throats.

"Green, trust me …" Avery extended her hand to the now shaking man. His hand immediately shot back into his lap.

"Is something wrong here?" The grabby guard from earlier loomed over our table.

Avery began a cool response, but was quickly intercepted, "They're talking about me."

"_No_, they're not." Sasha's words were still calm, but her words held the threat.

Though Avery couldn't see the guard behind her, she knew he had just rolled his eyes, his next words said it all, "Whatever. The doc wants to see you, Watts." Finished with her food or not, Avery was cuffed and forced to stand up. She spared another glance at her new found … well, she couldn't call them friends. Hudson was playing with his food. _Isn't he too old for that?_ "No …" Avery breathed out. He had spelled something out. "DRUGS" Hudson spared a glance at Green. That was his answer to her question.

"Good morning, Avery," for the second time today Avery froze in her tracks.

"_Dr. Owens, can you please read the highlighted passage?" Dawes placed a small piece of paper in front of the doctor._

"_Um … okay …" this was obviously not how Owens had expected this interview to go. "Patient displays a startling lack of emotion and capacity for lies. She seems to display little remorse for her actions, but denies ever being "violent". The only action she will admit to is having a, quote, 'wasted intelligence'. Her mentality is quite disconcerting." _

"_What are those notes from?" Dawes accepted the papers back. _

"_Those are my original notes on Miss Watts." _

"_When did you treat the defendant?" Dawes strategically placed herself between Dr. Owens and a glaring Avery._

"_When she was twelve … her parents were concerned. There had been some … incidents … at her school and they believed she was involved."_

"_Was she?" Dawes eyes lit up with this new information._

"_I don't know …. I – I never spoke to her after that initial meeting." Owens wrung her hands._

"_What was your preliminary diagnosis on Miss Watts' case?"_

"_She was showing early symptoms an antisocial personality … a disregard for the rules set by society."_

"_In our initial interview you used another term. Dr. Owens, I must remind you that you are under oath," Dawes voice was cool and calculating, far from the warm ADA Owens had met a few weeks prior. _

"_Yes … yes, I did." The seventeen year old defendant pinched the bridge of her nose. Dawes gave the Dr. Owens a silent look, silently pressing for more information. "I said that she was in the early stages of sociopathy."_

"_Can a sociopath be cured?" _

"_Not as far as I know."_

"_Will hospitalization do Watts any good?"_

_And there it was, the killing blow … "No, not in the least."_

_Less than a day later, Avery's lawyer made a deal. Avery testified against the real murderer, she went to Arkham indefinitely and she aided in repairing the man's life – under strict supervision of course. Dawes had been reluctant, or course … But Dent, on the other hand, had caved. He was Gotham's White Night. No one wanted to see a seventeen year old girl in Blackgate, but they didn't want her on the streets. Harvey Dent's hands were tied … Arkham it was._

"Dr. Owens," Avery recovered quickly. The woman's smile didn't even make it to her eyes. Owens hadn't changed much in five years. Her black hair had been cut short and there were a few extra wrinkles around her mouth and eyes. The office was much warmer than the rest of Arkham. The walls matched the faint cinnamon scent that hung in the room, as did her chair. Her chair was one of many in the room, but it was certainly the nicest.

"Sit down, Avery," Owens gestured to the plastic seat next to her.

"I'll stand, thanks."Avery folded her arms (as well as she could, still being in handcuffs) and leaned against the wall next to a guard. She did a preliminary scan of the room, moving on from the woman she hated so. Joker was glaring at her, probably still angry Avery had ignored his request to sit with him. The blond from breakfast was sitting next to him, practically on top of him. She recognized her previously from Arkham. The Joker did always brag about seducing his doctor, no one believed him though. Ivy, sitting on one side of the doctor, leaned back in her chair precariously. Edward Nigma was studying Avery as intently as she was studying the crowd. They'd only met once; he had escaped the day after Avery was admitted last time. Next to him, also studying Avery was … _You know, we really need to stop being shocked, Aves, really …_ The only acknowledgment Avery gave Adasen was a nod. He just glared at her.

"Miss Watts, let's not start this today," Avery smirked. Apparently, the others in the room and previous appointments had already given her a run for her money. Avery smirked, milking every once of agony from the doctor.

"Ave_s_, I'd, ah, listen to the good doctor." His tone was light but it still made her shudder in fear. Most of her time in Gotham had been put to the back of her mind, but she still remembered working for the Joker vividly.

"_Wha_t_ do you mean … it's not poss-i-ble?" his breath was rancid in Avery's face. He was so close she could pick out the tiny spots of black in his horrible teeth. Every layer of his make up was clear, even the inconsistencies. There was a slight bead of sweat running down his brow, blurring his eye makeup. The other henchmen felt only slightly bad for the seventeen-year-old, she wasn't to strong, but she had screwed plenty of them over. One of their own was still in jail with stat rape charges. _

"_Not with the equipment you gave me," Avery nodded her head to the old steel box Joker had tried to pass off as a pc._

"_They're jus_t_, ah, security cameras. _Do it_." As if the threat in his voice wasn't enough, he began fingering the knife he now held in his hands._

"_I can't." Avery bit back tears. No way was he going to see her cry._

"_Then _what_ am I paying you for?" In seconds the knife was piercing her skin._

There were only three seats open, and Avery found herself debating between evils. Two in between Joker and Adasen and one by the doctor … God … Avery took a seat next to the pissed off clown. "Thank you, Avery," Dr. Owens flashed the sweetest smile she could manage, which Avery attempted to return. The end result turned more into a sneer than a smile.

"Where'd you go hiding, Watts?" Ivy grinned, letting her chair land softly back into its right position.

"If she didn't tell the Joker why in the world would she tell you?" The Riddler shot Ivy a skeptical look.

"Because, I don't use intimidation." Both the Joker and Harley burst into raucous laughter, even Edward and Avery smiled a bit.

"I've just been around … really," Avery shrugged. It was the truth. She never stayed more than a few months in one spot and she never, ever, left a paper _t_rail. When she needed money she'd do an odd job and then leave. "Staying under the radar." She shrugged again.

"Well … you did a _fantasti__**c**_ job … didn' ya?"

"At least I can stay out of this hellhole for more than a year." The more the clown laughed, the more Avery wished she had sat next to Owens. Said doctor was surprisingly quiet, it seemed as though group therapy had started without her.

Or maybe not …

The office's door opened again with a loud creak. Two more burly guards filed in nearly dragging the newest additions to the group therapy session. The statuesque blond offered Avery a small smile. Sasha examined the circle until she was satisfied that Avery was the only new face. Sasha was shoved forward to make room for the second arrival.

Ice blue eyes met Avery's again and no matter how hard she tried, Avery couldn't help the shudder of fear that spilled down her spine. Dr. Crane smirked at her.

**A/N: I will be the first to admit how incredibly unpleased I am with this chapter. I don't know why ... I had a lot of fun writing it, but still ... I don't know, what do you guys think? Most of this chapter was honestly setting up for the future. Things need to happen, and unless you don't have certain information I'm going to be onslaughted with readers going "WTF? O.o" Umm ... anywho ... like I said the next chapter will be up shortly,** **seeing as its a lot of fun to write x3 Did I ever mention how much I adore Crane? Anywho, read, review, subscribe, favorite ... I'll love you for it :3**

**PS ... its funny how I've red this like three times over, and I'm still finding spelling mistakes x.x Fuck. My. Life (And writing x.x)**


	4. Johnny's Expletives

**A/N: A lot of Scarecrow, to make up for lack of him.**

Avery Watts had grown since her last time at Arkham. Oh yes, Dr. Crane remembered Watts just as well as she remembered him. She had always been cool and calculating and he couldn't help but notice how similar they were. They both could have acceptable, normal, well-paying careers. They both could have any girl (or guy, in Avery's case) that they wanted … if they ever decided to put their mind to it. Neither of them could take revenge physically, but both of their forms of revenge were worse … crueler. And, of course, they both held no guilt.

But then, she was so incredibly different. Avery let fear rule her life, just like every Gothamite. Fear of every little thing. She held back at first, hid her hurt and anguish. If someone did her wrong, she'd wait. She'd wait and wait until the time was right. Kick them when they're down, vulnerable. The cheap shot was always the easiest thought. Avery Watts was weak.

Avery had changed so much in the past years. Her hair had grown, and she had died it, yet again. Her eyes no longer held deeply ingrained bags, but that was only temporary. Her skin even maintained a bit of a tan … a bit. If it weren't for the flash of fear in her eyes when they made contact with his, he may have wondered if this was the same girl.

_**Girl? Crane? She's grown, twenty-two now … legal.**_Crane mentally rolled his eyes at his lecherous alter.

_Yes, girl … she's still as immature and pompous as she was when she was seventeen. _

_**Even if you've only seen her?**_Sometimes, Scarecrow could be infuriating.

Beaumont was nearly bouncing up and down, probably wishing to secure the spot next to Watts. Crane waited patiently, either one would put Watts on the edge of tears. Just his mere presence set her on edge.

_Crane smirked at the child from across the desk. She was whimpering in fear, the newest toxin wasn't nearly as strong, but it did the job. For once, he wasn't interested in screams. Work needed to be done and her stoic silence was doing neither of them any good. "What do you see, Miss Watts?" __**Let me out.**__ His alter was trying to force his way into the forefront. Not this time, not yet. _

"_G-go away …" Avery closed her eyes, biting away the tears, "please …" She was so weak. Crane smiled at the mouth that did nothing but make smart ass comments begged. It really was rich._

"_Just tell me what you see." Crane stood up and walked around the desk. "Tell me," his voice was rough. The tears and sweat mingled on Avery's cheeks and she refused to open her eyes._

"_Make it … make it … make it go away." Her eyes were screwed shut. Not that it mattered, either way she'd be seeing her greatest horrors. "Please ... stop …"_

_Crane let out a frustrated growl and grabbed the girl by both shoulders. "Look at me!" His alter sniggered in the background. His knuckles were turning white with the pressure on her arms. __**Now, now, Jonny, we don't want any bruises. **__Right … right … Crane took a deep breath and loosened his grip. "Look at me," he repeated, much calmer. Softly, she fluttered her brown eyes open .The action was so gentle, almost childlike. The next actions took Crane completely off-guard._

_The blood curdling scream echoed through the entire asylum. It wasn't an uncommon sound, but he knew the guards would be rushing in to check. "STOP IT! LEAVE ME ALONE! DON'T TOUCH ME!" Scarecrow cackled wildly, while Crane struggled to prepare a sedative. "WHAT DID I DO TO YOU?" Again she let out a piercing shriek. _

"_Shut the fuck up," Crane growled. __**Nice expletives, Jonny,**__ the Scarecrow sniggered. "Shut up." He repeated again, quieter this time. Watts shut up like he commanded, but still whimpering and crying. Blood was seeping from where she had bit her lip, and her teeth were still digging in. _

"_Please." _

"_One more time, Watts, what do you see?" He tapped the air bubbles out of the needle._

"_Sc-sc-", her lips trembled and blood began dripping onto her chin, "Scarecrow …"_

**She really was fun, **Scarecrow giggled wistfully.

_She really _was_ a pain in the ass, _Jonathan replied, _she was in here for antisocial tendencies and depression, not schizophrenia. Keeping her sane enough was a pain in the ass._

"Mr. Crane – "

"Dr. Crane," the venom seeped into his voice easily. **Don't we go over this every time?** "I still have my degrees."

"But you don't have your license." Watts did nothing to hid her smirk. "Please sit," Owens gestured to the last chair left, the one beside her. **Great, we get to be teacher's pets.** "Hello, everyone, as I'm sure you've all noticed we have a new patient." Owens began as soon as Crane began walking to his seat. "This is Avery," the doctor paused, as though she was expecting everybody to chide a greeting in clichéd unison, "Why doesn't everyone introduce themselves?"

"No need," Avery butted in before Ivy could open her mouth to start, "I'm acquainted with everyone."

"Well, Avery, it _is _only polite," Dr. Owens scratched the crook of her arm.

"No. Need." Her teeth were gritted now. The entire time she glared at Adasen.

"Are you sure, Avery? Finn wasn't here last time," she gestured to Adasen with a smirk. Crane couldn't help but smile as she squirmed a little.

_Crane watched the recordings silently. Avery had been sent to solitaire after she started cursing violently at the Joker. She wouldn't do anything to him, though … she couldn't. Now she was in solitary making a vertical impression in the padded floor. She was muttering, much to low for him to here. Every once in a while he'd hear a useless explicative or a cry of outrage. __**Maybe we're cracking her.**__ His alter giggled maliciously. Crane just shook his head. Why would she show symptoms now? Why not in rec room or at night? Finally there was one phrase that stood out above the rest, "Fucking Adasen …"_

"He's the reason I'm in here," Avery's words were laced with venom.

"Now, Avery," Owens voice sounded like that of a mother scolding a child, "you got yourself in her, my dear."

"I wouldn't be here if I didn't get caught."

"No who's fault is that?" Crane met her hate filled gaze evenly. She gave no hint of her fears, nothing obvious, at least. Finally she broke the glare to return to Owens.

"I meant the original time. Bastard sold me out." Her voice was cooler this time. She wasn't pleading her case, she was stating facts.

"You seriously thought I was going to pay you, bitch?" Adasen stood up and kicked his chair out from underneath him.

"I thought you knew who the _fuck _you were messing with," Avery growled.

"Fucking cunt! You didn't have to empty my fucking bank accounts!"

"Sit down, Finn," Owens gestured to the seat. "Why did you empty his bank accounts, Avery?" Again, Crane had an image of a teacher scolding a child.

"He owed me money," Avery shrugged like breaking bank accounts was an everyday occurrence, "I'm sure anyone in this room would have done the same." _Can't really argue … _**Though it would be **_**my**_** job.** Crane smiled softly. The rogues nodded in agreement, Adasen huffed.

"And, Adasen, just because she's a woman doesn't mean she's a bitch or a cunt," Crane kept his voice cool, but he couldn't help but smirk as Avery nearly choked on her tongue. Adasen scooted his chair a couple of inches away. "I prefer the term, 'pain in the ass'." Crane shot a glance at Avery. There was an obvious mental battle going on. Her hands clenched up like she wanted to defend herself against the term "pain in the ass". It was better than "bitch" and "cunt" and, contrary to Adasen's terms, it was undeniably true. But, she was scared shitless of Crane, and he knew it.

"Apologize." His alter snickered as Adasen's mouth opened and closed, resembling that of a fish. He squirmed around in his seat, hatred of Watts battled with fear of Crane.

Finally, fear won. **It always does, Jonny-Boy.** "I'm sorry." Avery just sneered in response. Her face also had resembled a fish. The moment Crane began defending her, her jaw had plummeted to the floor.

_Arkham just got that much more interesting._

**A/N: Concrit is appreciated, as always. Love you guys, the next chapter will be out in few days.**_  
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	5. Finn Adasen

**A/N: Kind of short still, I know. You guys keep on demanding longer chapters and I just keep on denying. This ending seemed so perfect. Focus's a lot on Avery's past and exactly why she ended up in Arkham. Thank you so much for all the reviews. I really do take all the critisms to heart and the praises keep me going (even if they do my already enormous ego no good). Enjoy!**

_Avery loved this bar for several reasons. For one, the bartender on weeknights had no problems giving her one or two drinks. The other reasons were far more practical. The ambience was rowdy, it was in the Narrows, mind you, but it wasn't rude and obnoxious. A group of college kids shouted at a football game behind the bar, almost, if not completely, muting the soft rock music that played. It was dark enough to create a mysterious mood, but light enough that you could make out faces. Most of the actual bar was empty, the patrons here preferred to sit at the various tables or gather around a particularly interesting game of pool - both far away from the prying ears of the bartenders. _

_But, Avery's most important reason for frequenting this bar was its placement. It was in one of the shadiest parts of town – the kind of place your parents warned you not be alone in, not at night. The kind of place Avery's parents liked to pretend didn't even exist. It was on top of an adult themed store; the owner had decided to pull a little bit of extra cash in and converted his flat. Any seating along the north or south walls gave perfect views of the street and the stairs up to the bar. Avery would know anyone who was coming in or passing by and be able to evaluate them before they even caught a glimpse of her. Check them out herself._

_Avery fingered the folder in her bag, it told her everything she needed to know about the imbecilic thug who had hired her. She had gathered the information from everywhere from Facebook to police files and arranged it nearly in her file. She knew things about him that would make a seasoned hooker cringe. The bottom line was, if Finn Adasen screwed her over, she'd match him blow by blow._

_He was late. Avery had half a mind to get up and leave. If Dimitrov hadn't told her to at least give this guy a chance, she would. So far no one had suspicious had entered, just the regular patrons. If Adasen was screwing with her … God … Avery took the file out again and read over it._

_Name: Finn Cambridge Adasen_

_Age: 42_

_Birthday: August 15, 1962_

_Hair: dark_

_Eyes: hazel_

_Race: Caucasian (note: tries to pretend he isn't)_

_Hobbies: basketball, movies, petty crimes_

_Work: mechanic, lackey for the mob_

_School: graduated high school, AA_

_MEDICAL HISTORY …_

_Avery didn't even look up when the Gotham Times slipped on top of her reading material. She had seen him out of the corner of her eyes. The man matched the picture in her file, aside from the five 'o clock shadow. Adasen ran a hand through his hair, and looked around. The man was obviously anxious; it didn't take a psychiatrist to figure that much out. _

"_Sit, please," Avery made no show of hiding the venom in her voice. The kind words were drenched in it._

_This only made Adasen even more nervous. _

"_Who the hell are you?" he pulled the tough guy façade up as much as he could muster, which wasn't really that much._

"_I could ask you the same question." Avery took another sip, refusing to take her eyes off the man. Who the hell did this guy think he was? Didn't he realize she was the one taking time out of her schedule to meet him here? She was the one who was risking her neck for him. _Bastard should show some respect, _Avery grumbled to herself. _Listen to what he says; if you don't like it, we can pay someone to kill him later.

"_You already know who I am," he gestured to the orange folder that had been slipped closed the moment he slipped into the booth. "That money is only a taste of what this job's going to be."For the first time Avery glanced down at the newspaper. There were several hundred dollar bills sticking out of the folds. "It's all clean." Without pause Avery slipped both the folder and the newspaper into her bag._

"_Why don't you relax, a bit, have a drink," to make the point Avery held up her glass. Avery loved this role. The Joker had gotten a kick out of her act the first time they had met. Said he saw right through it. Luckily this guy had no problems cowering in fear of the young adult who could screw his life over with a press of a button. _

"_I'll pass. Dimitrov warned me about you."_

_Avery laughed a little. Why in the world would she poison him right now? Anyways, that wasn't her style. "Did he? And how _exactly_ do you know Yuri?" Adasen did a double take, probably shocked that she was on first name terms with Dimitrov … _We're not, but does he really need to know that? _Avery smirked a bit._

_Adasen shrugged, "Old college buddies."_

"_Don't lie." Adasen visibly cringed at the clipped tone. _

"_I've done a few favors for him, what's it to you?"_

"_If I remember right, _you're _then one who needs _my _help."_

"_Yeah, I need a favor … a pretty damn big one."_

_Avery rolled her eyes, "I don't do favors, I do jobs."_

"_Job, favor, whatever … either way someone's going to be dead in a couple months – "_

_Avery held up a hand, "I'm not an assassin, I'm not a mercenary. I'm not a _thug. _End of story." Her fists tightened but then released again something about this man grated on her every nerve._

_Adasen nodded, "Dimitrov told me … my pal's gonna do that end. What I need _you _to do, make my pal the victim and _this guy,_" he slid a manila folder under the table, "that guy, the killer."_

"_And where exactly is the victim going to end up?" Avery opened up the folder and glanced over Adasen's victim. He seemed like a well-to-do guy. Stay-at-home dad, artist, pretty young … the last suspect in anybody's murder investigation. _

"_Six feet under? The guy pissed off Yuri, and, hey, why not kill two birds with one stone."Avery was almost shocked. This had to Dimitrov's plan, or another mobsters plan. Adasen didn't even look like he had the common sense to run from the scene of a crime, nonetheless come up with a complicated murder cover-up like this. _

_I'm going to need some help, and more money than a couple grand – not counting my pay," the folder snapped shut and joined its bright orange counterpart. _

"_You don't even know what I'm paying you!" Every fiber in Avery's beings wanted to make this man disappear – and not in the good way._

"_Oh yes I do, you're not just asking me to steal some money or screw with a bunch of files, Adasen," all traces of venomous courtesy gone, Avery's voice was a harsh whisper, "I'm breaking into government files, hacking social security … do you know what the _fuck _that entails. _You're _going to pay for every computer, every bribe and shitless scumbag that may end up dead … but first … first, you're going to put one hundred grand in an offshore account … once its finished, you'll put another hundred …"_

"_One – two hundred grand?" for a second Finn's mouth opened and closed, the numbers not quite clicking into place, "Who the fuck do you think you are, lady?"_

"_Someone you don't want to fuck around with," with that, Avery slipped out of her chair and left the bar. If Adasen could pay her two hundred grand, he could pick up the tab. _

"Watts! Sleep on your own time!" One of the guards shouted from across the recreation room. Avery had half a mind to question exactly whose time this was, if not hers, but decided against it. Sleep clogged minds and sarcasm rarely work well together.

The recreation room was a far cry from oak pool tables and dark ambiance of the Narrows bar. It was sterile and extremely uncomfortable. Avery had fallen asleep draped sideways across a plastic armchair; her foot propped open the door separating the nurses station and the recreation room. Sweat had built up on the back of her neck, where the uncomfortable and thin, blue plastic had prevented her neck any form of breath. Across from her Harley had sat with her legs entwined in Poison Ivy's. She had draped herself across the four rogues who had squeezed themselves onto the couch that matched Avery's armchair. If the Riddler or Hatter had complained, they were now perfectly compliant. The Joker very obviously did not mind, he was pulling the back of Harley's head closer to his crotch in a vaguely sexual gesture.

All five of them were focused on the glass encased TV. It was by far the nicest thing in the room. Large and flat screen, anchored on the wall far higher than any of the patients could reach. Not that the TV went to any good use. Animal planet and Disney movies were all they were allowed to watch. At the far corner Sasha, Green, Adasen and Hudson were playing Ace of Spades … Hudson and Sasha were winning.

And as always, there were ice blue eyes staring at her. Dr. Crane didn't even try to hide it. One of the cheap paper back books from the plastic, disorganized, square shelves (dominated mostly by board games) was discarded face down across his lap. If Avery didn't know better she would say he was checking her out. His eyes started at her sock covered feet, now struggling to keep hold of the door from her shaking. As his eyes darted over her legs, Avery instantly regretted rolling up the ankles to her knees. She was pale and unflatteringly skinny, but his gaze still set her on edge. Crane's eyes darted to every piece of bare flesh. The peek of her stomach in between the almost all the way down zipper and her white undershirt that had ridden up, the little bit of her shoulder that had been revealed in her minute nap, even the hollow of her neck … _especially _the hollow of her neck. Under his scrutiny her pulse had doubled, and she would bet her life's savings that it was visible. "Nightmare, Miss Watts?" the fascination in his voice, it …. Avery didn't like it. At all.

"You wish." Sleep clogged minds and sarcasm _definitely _do not mix.

"So, I was right?" every word flowed off his tongue easily, like he was born turning people like Avery into quivering masses of fear. Probably was.

"No, Crane," Avery turned around and sat on the chair properly in one swift and semi-graceful movement, "believe it or not, you are _not _always right." He smiled. The bastard smiled. "And you don't scare me." Adding insult to agitation, the jackass laughed. It wasn't the lighthearted laugh Harley gave, or the "I know something you don't" laugh Riddler gave. It was coarse, humorless and cold.

"Ignore him, Watts," Edward Nigma shifted a little bit underneath the busty blonde. "He's just pouting because you took his seat." Avery barked a laugh at the thought of Dr. Crane pouting … then she imagined his eyes with a little bit of a sparkle. Maybe she should add dog ears and a tail. Sure enough, Avery was in a full blown giggle fit. She clutched her stomach and doubled over, trying to hold off the stitch in her side. She could feel the ice blue eyes glaring at her, but what the hell did she care … for the first time in weeks she was having a good laugh.

**A/N: Avery would like me to inform you guys that she had a blast playing the big bad criminal. Tell me what you think of that side of her persona. I've only ever spent time in a mental hospital, not an asylum. The description of the rec room is what I remember from my time spent there. Those chairs … god … Review! Fave! I'll update soon!**


	6. Intermission

Avery was losing at chess. Badly. Not that she was surprised, this was Edward Nigma after all. At this point she was just trying to survive until he made a mistake. That's how Arkham was. No one was here to get better. Everyone just survived until they could escape. Whether by playing nice and faking sane, or by kicking ass and taking names, it was all the same. One way or another, all roads led to Gotham.

"Why'd you come back?" Edward asked, taking Avery's rook with absurd ease.

"Felt like it," Avery shrugged, moving her King out of harm's way.

"No seriously," he looked up from the board. "From what I heard you had it pretty good."

"And here I thought my escapades were a complete secret from you guys."

"I'm serious, Avery, no one knew where you were, but we heard rumors. They said you were living the good life," Edward moved his pawn. "Checkmate."

"Fucker." He was right. Her king was trapped. "I guess I was," Avery shrugged, beginning to clean up the board, "I always wanted to travel …"

"But …"

"But, I don't know, it jus wasn't Gotham." The Riddler opened his mouth, probably for some smartass retort about all the crazies, but Avery was already walking away. Losing at chess, even to someone like Nigma, plus the conversation had significantly decreased her mood.

Avery had settled into a routine in the past few days: Wake up, eat, group, banter with Joker, eat, one on one, banter with Riddler, eat, banter with Sasha and Hunter, sleep, repeat. All the while ignoring Adasen and avoiding Crane. It was relatively easy as neither seemed to want anything to do with her.

"That wasn't very nice," Crane was lounging in Avery's chair. He took up the space in a much more dignified manner, sitting up straight. His ankle was resting on his opposite knee, his long arms rested on said ankle. He was studying Avery again. It was how he always started a conversation, by sizing up his opponent.

"I don't play '_nice'_." Crane cocked an eyebrow. "What is it you want?" Avery perched herself on the coffee table, eyeing him. He hadn't changed much from Arkham either, and she still felt like someone had filled her with ice whenever she saw him.

"To talk," he replied, like it was the most natural thing in the world. "We haven't had a real conversation since you arrived." _He's lying, _a voice in the back of her mind warned. _I know that. _

"You're not serious?" Avery barked a humorless laugh.

"Very much, Watts." It was Avery's turn to raise her eyebrows. "Its been years since our last … _conversation._"

That's when the pieces clicked.

_Avery's heart was racing, but her limbs refused to cooperate. Spiders and cockroaches and snakes and everything else creepy and crawly were all over the floor, covering the couch and crawling onto her. She tried to scream but her mouth wasn't cooperating. Nor were her limbs as she tried to move away from the creatures._

"_Wonderful creation, isn't this?" Scarecrow crooned by her ear, his breathe turning into maggots that filled her ears. Avery screamed. "Yesssss …" he hissed._

"I'm not interested in your _conversations,_" Avery stood up and walked to a guard. "Can I go back to my room now?"

**A/N: …. Sooooo … Hi … it's been a while – or more than a while – since I updated. I'm sorry for that … School I guess … Writers block … computer problems … I have a lot of excuses, but, yeah. This one's kind of short. I haven't written in a long time, honestly. Getting back on the horse was more difficult than I thought it would be.**


	7. How Are Your Parents?

Avery struggled weakly against the straight jacket. Her shoulders ached and she could feel the rails of the bedframe through the mattress. She'd never wanted to sleep more in my life; the drugs coursing through her system making eyes droop and her breathing slow. But no matter how hard she tried she couldn't get comfortable. So she settled for awkwardly tossing in turning. Avery was in solitary confinement.

Avery could here Crane now. "You put yourself in this situation," he would say, "learn to control your temper." Controlling her temper was the furthest thing from her mind. Murder was much higher on her priorities. Avery had never wanted someone to die before. She had been major component of many people's deaths but they were all pawns. Meaningless. Disposable. Not that Crane wasn't disposable, but disposing of Crane would be comparable to disposing a bishop or a rook. Much more difficult.

"Why aren't you eating?" Sasha inquired, spearing another carrot with her fork.

"Not hungry," Avery replied, flattening her mashed potatoes rather than eating them.

"You need to keep up your strength," Hudson said through a mouthful of food, "Word on the street is Adasen's got it out for you."

"He's always had it out for me."

"Can I sit here?" The smooth voice made Avery jump and look around. Jonathan Crane didn't wait for a reply and slid in uncomfortably close to Avery.

"No," Avery replied pushing against him weakly.

"Hands to yourself, Watts!" a guard called. That was her first warning.

"That wasn't a question," Crane went to push a strand of hair out of Avery's face. Avery's hand shot up to smack his wrist.

"Watts!" Strike two.

Avery felt the familiar panic well up in her throat. How could Crane do this to her every time. Her heart pounded against her chest as though it was trying to escape. Just the smell of him brought back memories she had been trying to repress. "Cra-ane," her voice cracked "what are you playing at?"

"Just trying to make amends," Crane smirked.

"Just go away." Avery focused on her hands. They were shaking. Sweat gathered at her brow. Breathing was becoming difficult.

Crane leaned in close, speaking so quietly his words were just breaths on her ear. "How are your parents?" That was it, Avery snapped. Her fist swung in a wide arc, aiming for Crane's jaw. It never made contact though. She couldn't even have that satisfaction. Though she never was much of a fighter. Guards were on her in seconds, A shot of Adavan and handcuffs, she was frogmarched from the cafeteria. Jonathan Crane just smiled.

**A/N: I'm back again. Life's been a little hectic, but I swear I'm gonna keep on top of this one. A short chapter but enough to get me started on more. Jonny's having way too much fun.**


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